Mixed Plate Special - The Internet Comic Guy

The Internet Comic Guy

Written by Bruce Beinert

For years adult comic book readers have been depicted as lonely overweight losers who still live in their parents’ basements. Take The Simpsons’ “Comic Book Guy” character, whose catchphrase declaration “Worst. [Noun.] Ever.” is a meme for know-it-all, pushing-40, comic-book reading, pop culture critics.

It’s a stereotype that is hard to break (for those who live it, rest assured, “Comic Book Guy” claims in The Simpsons Movie, his is “a life well spent”), but recently comics are being seen in a new light with writer-artists such as Frank Miller and Neil Gaiman turning out graphic novels that are now recognized as serious fiction. In 2005, Time named Alan Moore’s graphic novel Watchmen in its 100 greatest novels of all time list, giving further credibility to the genre.

If you are a comic book aficionado or a budding comic book artist, or you recognize any of the above authors’ names, you’ll want to be at Doris Duke Theatre on Tuesday evening when Internet comic pioneer and former Superman artist Scott McCloud discusses his new book Making Comics. This is McCloud’s third book on the art and theory of constructing a serial story, and in this latest work he goes into detail on the process of how comics are actually constructed. You can also see his comics at www.scottmccloud.com where he shows how he has used the Internet and new technology such as Adobe Flash to re-invent and expand on the art form.

Doris Duke Theatre
Honolulu Academy of Arts
900 S. Beretania St.
Tuesday, Aug. 14
7:30pm
532-8700
Free